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takyon [soylentnews.org] writes:

Uber's controversial self-driving truck division shuts down [arstechnica.com]

Uber is shutting down [techcrunch.com] its self-driving truck program, the company acknowledged on Monday. It's the latest example of Uber scaling back its self-driving technology efforts in the wake of a deadly Uber self-driving car crash [arstechnica.com] in March.

Uber's self-driving truck program has been embroiled in controversy since Uber acquired the unit two years ago. The acquisition price was reportedly $680 million, though the actual cost may have been much less than that [cnbc.com]. Previously, it had been a startup called Otto, led by controversial ex-Waymo engineer Anthony Levandowski. Waymo sued Uber, arguing that Levandowski had taken Waymo trade secrets with him on the way out the door.

[...] "We've decided to stop development on our self-driving truck program and move forward exclusively with cars," said Eric Meyhofer [theverge.com], the leader of Uber's self-driving technology program, in a statement to The Verge. Personnel from the truck division will be folded into the company's self-driving car efforts.

Previously: Uber Buys Autonomous Truck Startup Otto [soylentnews.org]
The Fall of Uber CEO Travis Kalanick [soylentnews.org]
Uber Pulls Self-Driving Cars After First Fatal Crash of Autonomous Vehicle [soylentnews.org]

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